The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-22
, OTHAM'S POLICE FORCE.
WHERE BREACHES OF DISCIPLINE
ARE TRIED.

ARE TRIED.
Sketches of the Commissioners-H How
the Cases Are Inquired Into = The
Politicians Returning Broadway's
Railroad - Grease and the Big
Schemes.
New YORK, May 2i.--Every Wednesday
drama, much more interesting than many
PLAYS, is performed in a room on the second
floor of the big graystone building on Null
bury street known as Police Headquarters.
A sign over the entrance designates it as the
court room. 1t is the place where the police
are tried for breaches of discipline. No out
siders except reporters and witnesses are in
the room, whose benches are occupied by
hundred or more policemen in full uniform
Some of these are witnesses, but fifty or
sixty are defendants, and it is easy to pick
out the latter from their gloomy counter
anceS. Every week about fifty of New
Works 5000 police have to be tried in this
room for offenses of various degrees of
gravity. One of the four Police Commits
sioners, whose offices are on the floor below,
sits in Judgment on the offenders. If it
happens te be courtly Fitz John Porter's day
to try cases or mild little Commissioner
McClave's or Commissioner Voorhis, the
offender congratulates himself, but if
Commissioner French, the President of the
Board of Police, takes the bench, the most
calloused officer trembles in his boots in a
way that would please the ''toughsn of his
precinct if they were allowed to see it.
Commissioner French looks like the pic
lures the Gaborian draws of the STERN griz-
Zled, keen-eyed Project of Police His sharp
black eyes appear all the darker in contrast
with his long, gray moustache. His bronzed
face, free of all wrinkles, nor his thin lips
furnish any index to the offender of his
opinions. A man with formidable blonde
moustache arises at a signal from the Com
missioner and reads so rapidly that no one
unaccustomed to him can understand what
be says the charges against policeman
The latter and the witnesses in the case step
forward. The patrolman wears on his
sleeve, midway between the hand and the
elbow, bands of blue braid which indicate
his term of service, every five years adding
new bar so his sleeve. Up to certain
point the officer takes pride in these blue
bars, but when four Or more of them have
encircled his sleeve and he hasn't been able
to exchange them for the gold braid that in
dicates the officer they become source of an
noyance. The clerk with the big blonde
moustache, who sits beside the Commissioner
is often able to tell why the blue bars have
not been exchanged for the gold. He is the
record clerk, and he keeps in his relentless
fashion the history of every policeman's
shortcomings. A digest of the record is
entered on the back of the charge against,
each man. -
When the charges have been read The
Commissioner in a quick, imperious voice
orders the offender and all witnesses to stand
up and take the Bible They cluster about
a small well-worn Bible to which each clings.
with his right hand. Sometimes dozen
witnesses are thus clinging to the sacred
book. The Commissioner administers the
OATH When citizens appear as witnesses an
average of one in twenty refuse 10 be'sworn
and stand apart from the group about the
Bible. After the rest have taken the oath
the witness makes his affirmation. The
chief witness for the prosecution is usually
an officer of the precinct from which the
offender comes. The commissioner asks
sNssAre these charges frueg" and being an
fed III the Affirmative he says:
4<f X6lI rs what you know about the case y
be officer mokes his statement in a mat
fact way and the Commissioner then
b What keye you to say for yourselfgn
~ Itk poiiferlan is allowed to make a full
81 Sc stateInent. He may have a lawyer
IA 50 elects, but he seldom INDUCES in
I04t Wxury The commonest cause of COM
EIaint is absence from post. The stereo-
IfHd excuse of the offender is, 81 was sick,
ESr honor, had been taking medicine and
ti<bped INTO saloon to sit down moment -
&Ii<e record clerk, who has heard this excuse
&nty hines or more every Wednesday,
9iio9 but the Commissioners black eyes
<<{kIY pierce the offender as he says:
Why didn't you report sick and go
~ Tie offender makes more excuses and I'M
fMa fierce glare of the Commissioners
~ he Is pretty sure to entangle himself in
he aneshes of the case. The Commissioner
shddenly exclaims:
ssClosed p makes an entry in his book and
the offender goes away in a state of suS-
pense He will not know his fate until after
The Commissioner and his three colleagues,
who meet Tuesdays and Fridays, have con
sidered and passed upon the case from the
evidence adduced at the trial on Wednesday.
He may be fined one or twenty days, or his
superior officer may announce to him the
terrible verdict that he must hand over his
club and badge and retire from the service
10 private life. The latter punishment, how
sver, is seldom inflicted.
One remarkably self possessed policeman
explains his absence from post by giving his
movements through a labyrinth of streets
while the roundsman was looking for him.
There are more than 900 miles of streets in
New York, but the Commissioner knows
every one of them, and he allows the de
fandant to tell his ingenious story and then
destroys his evidence by showing concu-
lively that a snail could have traversed the
route in the time that the defendant pre-
lends TO have taken to walk over it. Then
.he Commissioner says:
"Your record is bad. You have beer
tried seven times for absence of post during
your four years service on the force anC
uos, fold hp